Geraardsbergen
| Geraardsbergen | |||
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| Municipality | |||
Town hall, museum and Marbol fountain
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 Geraardsbergen
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Location of Geraardsbergen in East Flanders
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| Coordinates: 50°46′N 03°52′E / 50.767°N 3.867°ECoordinates: 50°46′N 03°52′E / 50.767°N 3.867°E | |||
| Country | Belgium | ||
| Community | Flemish Community | ||
| Region | Flemish Region | ||
| Province | East Flanders | ||
| Arrondissement | Aalst | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Guido De Padt (Open VLD) | ||
| • Governing party/ies | CD&V, Open VLD | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 79.71 km2 (30.78 sq mi) | ||
| Population (1 January 2016) | |||
| • Total | 33,136 | ||
| • Density | 420/km2 (1,100/sq mi) | ||
| Postal codes | 9500, 9506 | ||
| Area codes | 054 | ||
| Website | www |
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Geraardsbergen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣeːraːrdzbɛrɣə(n)], French: Grammont) is a city and municipality located in the Denderstreek and in the Flemish Ardennes, the hilly southern part of the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Geraardsbergen proper and the following towns:
On January 1, 2006 Geraardsbergen had a total population of 31,380. The total area is 79.71 km² which gives a population density of 394 inhabitants per km².
The current mayor of Geraardsbergen is Guido De Padt, from the Open VLD (liberal) party.
Geraardsbergen is one of the oldest cities in Belgium. It came into existence close to the settlement of Hunnegem and in 1068 was one of the first communities in Western Europe to be granted city status.
The city was destroyed in 1381 by Walter IV of Enghien and his troops. According to legend, during the siege local people threw some of their left over food over the city wall to show that they had sufficient food to survive a long siege. This bravado notwithstanding, the city was still captured by Enghien's troops. Every year the city organizes the krakelingenworp carnival on top of the hill at Oudenberg (111 metres (364 ft)) to celebrate this historical event.
On 29 May 1815, shortly before the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington and Blücher reviewed the Allied cavalry here. Some 6,000 troops were paraded in meadows on the banks of the Dender between Geraardsbergen and Jedeghem.
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Wikipedia